(Jan 20, 2011) The British Interior Minister, Theresa May, introduced an order in Parliament to ban the group Tehrik-e-Taliban. The order has to be approved by the legislature before it can become effective.

The group is influenced by al-Qaeda and is considered to be "the main militant alliance based in northwestern Pakistan, focusing on attacking the Pakistani state, which it considers illegitimate." In introducing the order, the Minister stated "proscription is a tough but necessary power to tackle terrorism and is not a course of action we take lightly." (Britain Moves to Ban Tehrik-e-Taliban Under Terror Law, THE DAWN.COM (Jan. 19, 2011) [from REUTERS],http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/18/britain-moves-to-ban-tehrik-e-taliban-under-terror-law.html.)

Membership in the Tehrik-e-Taliban would be illegal after proscription and the group would not be able to operate in the United Kingdom or raise funds there. The organization has threatened attacks on the United States and Europe and also claimed responsibility for an attack in July 2010 near Pakistan's northwestern border with Afghanistan, in which 102 people were killed and at least 80 wounded. (Id.)

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